5 Great Vitamins for Healthy Hair

Healthy hair has been covetable for centuries. In the last hundred years alone, advertisements, television and movies have exalted shiny and beautiful hair as the gold standard of human perfection. We’ve all seen the commercials before: a woman lets her hair down to reveal an envy-inducing mane that falls over her shoulders in slow motion, or a rugged man with a five o’clock shadow putting his hands through a thick head of hair. However, a lot of the shampoos and conditioners on the market can actually have the opposite effect of making your hair healthy. Doctors say that it is not what you put on your hair, but the food you eat, especially vitamins and nutrients, that will give you covetable hair. Here are 5 great vitamins for healthier hair.

One of the best vitamins for healthy hair is called biotin, because it aids in the body’s creation of keratin, which is an essential element of healthy hair. Biotin is also called vitamin H and can be found in many B-complex vitamin combinations. You can also find biotin in foods, like green peas, lentils, bulgur and brown rice. Typically if the food is brown or green and grown in the earth, it probably has biotin and is great for your hair.

Another important vitamin to take for healthy air is Vitamin E, because of its antioxidants. Vitamin E is also known as the “good skin and hair” vitamin. Antioxidants can actually make hair grow faster and thicker, which can result in a much fuller look that could never be recreated with chemical filled hair products. Vitamin E has also been known to prevent hair loss, which makes it a great vitamin to take for men who are seeing patterns of baldness.

Next, vitamin B5 has been known to reduce the effects of age related graying. This vitamin, which is also known as pantothenic acid, not only decreases grayness, but also clears dead skin cells from around the scalp to make room for new hair follicles to grow, which can result in your hair having a more voluminous look. Vitamin B5 can be found in supplements, but also in foods, like eggs and whole grains.

Vitamin A is another vitamin that contains something called retinol, which has been known to promote healthy hair and eyes. This vitamin is currently being used by men to reduce male pattern baldness, because it can help slow down the body’s process of shrinking hair follicles. You can find vitamin A in small fish oil capsulesfollow or in foods, like spinach and carrots.

Lastly, inositol is a vitamin in the B complex group that can make the hair stronger and less susceptible to split ends. Inositol works on a cellular level by making the membranes of the cell walls stronger and impervious to breaking, which can result in shinier and sturdier hair. You can find inositol in various beans and citrus fruits. Now you can make yourself a salad or smoothie for a nice healthy head of hair.